Tom Dempsey Got His Kicks Wearing No. 19

Tom Dempsey is best known for two things, kicking with “half of a foot” and the 63-yard field goal.

J.J. Arcega-Whiteside didn’t have a great rookie season in Philadelphia but the now second-year receiver only needs a couple of competent campaigns to make the No. 19 his own when it comes to Eagles history.

With only 19 days remaining until the season-opener on Sept. 13 at Washington, however, our jersey countdown to kickoff recognizes former placekicker Tom Dempsey.

Dempsey is best known for two things, kicking with “half of a foot” and the 63-yard field goal he blasted with the New Orleans Saints in 1970, an NFL record that lasted for four decades.

In reality, Dempsey was born with no toes on his right foot and no fingers on his right hand. He wore a custom, flat-front kicking shoe that ended where his toes would have been.

At the time, Dempsey’s historic kick broke Bert Rechichar's record for the longest field goal by a staggering seven yards. His record was ultimately matched three times, first by Jason Elam in 1998. Sebastian Janikowski followed in 2011 and then former Eagles kicker David Akers did it in 2012.

The kick was finally bested by Matt Prater’s 64-yarder on December 8, 2013.

Dempsey’s kick was a walk-off, however, and he still holds that record, although Graham Gano matched it with a 63-yarder game-winner on the final play for Carolina in 2018.

Dempsey arrived in Philadelphia in 1971 and kicked for the Eagles through the 1974 season. It wasn’t a great era for the organization which only won 14 games in the three seasons Dempsey kicked in all 14 games.

He was solid for the era, though, and had an impressive 106 points in 1973.

A member of the Saints Hall of Fame, recent years were not kind to Dempsey. His house flooded in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and by 2013 he was diagnosed with dementia.

In March of this year, Dempsey tested positive for COVID-19, one of 15 residents at a New Orleans-area senior residence to test positive for the virus. He ultimately passed on April 4 from complications of COVID-19.

Current number 19:

JJ Arcega-Whiteside. After a disappointing rookie season as a high-profile second-round pick out of Stanford, Arcega-Whiteside is hoping to turn things around in 2020.

“I wasn’t good enough. It’s definitely going to be different this year,” JJAW said earlier this month.

Arcega-Whiteside managed just 10 receptions for 169 yards, production that paled in comparison to some talented receivers that were selected after him in the 2019 draft like Seattle’s D.K. Metcalf and Washington’s Terry McLaurin.

Arcega-Whiteside worked on speed and explosion during the offseason with a track coach and lost a little bit of weight.

“That was something that I worked on this offseason because I can run,” he said. “I didn’t prove it last year. This year, we wanted speed, so I got my speed up, too, just so I can show them that we have a receiving corps full of fast guys, not just one, two, or three guys. Everybody on this receiving corps can run.”

To date, Arcega-Whiteside has been taking some reps with the first-team on the outside at the X position but first-round pick Jalen Reagor seems to be gaining steam there.

At some point, JJAW may also have to deal with veteran Alshon Jeffery as well who is working his way back from a Lisfranc injury.

Top 3 to wear number 19:

3. Miles Austin. A two-time Pro Bowl receiver in Dallas, Austin played the last of his 10 professional seasons with the Eagles in 2015, lasting only 11 games and hauling in a paltry 13 of 31 targets but recognition with this number for the Eagles is not a difficult bar to clear.

2. Golden Tate. Tate is another part-time, one-year wonder at the WR position, a trade-deadline pickup from Detroit in 2018, who snared 30 receptions in eight games. Perhaps, more importantly, he caught what turned out to be the game-winner in the playoffs in Chicago although he actually ran the wrong route on the play.

1. Tom Dempsey. See Above.

Runner-up:

Paul Turner. A training-camp favorite because he had sure hands in an era of the dropsies Turner actually made it on the active roster for four games in 2016 and he managed nine receptions but just didn’t have NFL-level speed,

Others: Roger Kirkman, Orrin Pape, Jim Leonard, Herman Bassman, Fritz Ferko, Tom Burnette, George Somers, Harold Pegg, Dan Berry, Guido Merkens, Troy Smith, Sean Morey, Carl Ford, Michael Gasperson, Brandon Gibson, Mardy Gilyard, and Greg Salas.

John McMullen contributes Eagles coverage for SI.com's EagleMaven and is the NFL Insider for JAKIB Media. You can listen to John every Monday and Friday on SIRIUSXM’s Tony Bruno Show with Harry Mayes, and every Tuesday and Thursday with Eytan Shander on SportMap Radio. You can reach him at jmcmullen44@gmail.com or on Twitter @JFMcMullen

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